Katelyn DeVarennes's Blog

As a Minnesota native, I have developed a great passion for being active. When I moved to Amarillo three years ago, I only knew a few family friends. It took me a while to find the community of runners, bikers, gym goers and exercise-lovers.

But, after finding that niche of people, I soon learned Amarillo had a lot to offer those searching for fitness activities and hobbies!

Live Well Fit, located at 6205 S.W. 34th Ave. in Amarillo, focuses on women’s fitness and wellness programs. I went there for my first time last week with a friend to try out their Bar Sculpt class. I had not asked about or Googled what Bar Sculpt consists of - I wanted to go in there with a fresh outlook on this particular group class.

One Run Boston: Take 2 is coming up quick! The epic non-stop relay from coast-to-coast benefitting the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings begins March 16 in Santa Monica, CA and will be running through our backyard once again March 27.

In 2013, One Run for Boston relay became the first ever non-stop relay to happen from Santa Monica to Boston. One Run for Boston came through Amarillo on Sunday, June 16, 2013, and this year we are searching for even more support from our running community!

I admit, I had expectations for myself and CrossFit 806 when I started almost two weeks ago. I had an idea how "fit" I was already, I thought CF 806 would be a typical gym setting, and I quickly found out my expectations were completely off. I have learned so much already about the sport of CrossFit (I actually learned it is a sport), I have met many great people (especially in the 6AM class) that I truly look up to now, and I have learned more than I ever would have thought about the shape my body is in.

Today we use Western medicine probably more than we should. There is a pill for everything, literally everything. So for the daily aches, pains, and discomfort why not try something a little more natural?

Essential oils are useful for countless health benefits and here is a list of oils that you can consider for various health reasons!

To an outsider CrossFit may seem like a secret society. What the workouts consist of, who the athletes are, and what goes on daily at the gym. This was my point of view before meeting the co-owners of CrossFit 806 Michael Haning, Kyle Cato, and Nick Shelton. Once I started this week at CrossFit and talked to the owners, coaches, and members a little more I realized how open they all are about the sport of CrossFit.

Santana Gonzales, 48, is one of the men our community can be proud to claim. He took it upon himself to not only learn about health, fitness, and overall well-being, but to lose and maintain an impressive 80 pounds. In addition to the weight loss, Santana has completed local 5-Ks, marathons, and ultra marathons. He has a lot to be proud of, and he has seen great support from our community.

Jon Mark Beilue has written articles about the amazing year he had in 2013, and Santana won the Dramatic Change contest held by Get Fit in October 2013.

Where will you be at 9AM Saturday, January 25th? You could join Get Fit, myself, and other runners at the start line of the Cold as Ice 1 mile fun run/walk, 5k run, and 10k run! Get Fit, Amarillo's very own specialty running store holds this race every January for all of you who want to get up, get out, and get moving!